Handicrafts today constitute an important segment of the Indian economy, believes Shimolee Sheth, a student of the entrepreneurship programme at Nirma University.
Handicrafts today constitute an important segment of the Indian economy, believes Shimolee Sheth, a student of the entrepreneurship programme at Nirma University. “Handicrafts originally began as a part-time activity in rural areas, but has now grown into a flourishing economic activity because of the significant rise in market demand over the years,” she said.
Sheth has come up with an innovative idea for the economic uplift of tribal communities and has set up an exhibition of daily-use items designed by artisans from Dahod and the Panchmahals.
The motto of Sheth’s project is ‘Make nature your friend this friendship season’. This relates to items on display at the exhibitions — from purses and wallets to tablemats, coasters, stationery, lampshades, magazine holders, jewellery and mobile phone covers — all made of eco-friendly material such as wood, bamboo, jute, cane and cotton.
Sheth said that youngsters should become friends with nature and that natural products presented in a trendy avatar must become the new ‘in thing’. “We must make nature our friend and we can do so by buying such items made in an environmentally friendly manner. It is about time that Indians started feeling proud of our products,” she said.
Sheth feels that these artisans deserve the actual amount they have put in to make such products. “I want transactions between the tribal community and the urban population to be direct, without any middleman eating away more than half of the former’s money,” she said.
Sheth’s preliminary research revealed that an average citizen of Ahmedabad spent between Rs150 and Rs250 on each gift they bought. “The majority of items cost between Rs50 and Rs300. This is a very affordable price range. We can all buy such items, through which we will not only uplift the economic condition of rural artisans, but also promote the use of natural products,” she said.
Sheth aims to undertake this initiative on a larger scale in the coming time.
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